Funny -- I love my job, but when work roles are re-evaluated and layoffs abound (esp. union jobs in the field) it's a harsh environment. Thank you, PSR.
LOL. The ad directly below the article has this headline: "Union Pacific is Hiring!"
I do love my job. I don't necessarily love all the things that are going on in the church as a whole right now, but I can't do much about that, so I just focus on the job God has given me to do.
I love my company. I like my job. It's hard to love it when constant cuts are constant discrimination are forever depriving your clientele of hope and resources. Not to mention constant staff on FMLA which means more work for me.
I'm very good at my job, and I quite enjoy doing the work. However, since they fired my boss for being a turd I've been the boss / not the boss and responsible for all my other job duties at the same time. The end of the day comes pretty quickly now with multiple, very patient elements of my work waiting at my desk everyday. I've made myself the go to candidate for the promotion, and my colleague who expressed a desire to get the promotion has told me that he's seen how the sausage is made and wants no part of it. I just have to run out the next month and a half doing double duty with no mandate for the institution to decide if I'm worthy of an internal promotion. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted at the end of most every day.
Having said all that, since the turd was flushed out of the organization I feel pretty great going in to work. Sure, it's a job, but now I don't have to contend with a constant sense of dread about what the boss will say/do/inflict on the staff.
I had a similar experience in my last position. For over 4 years, I was "acting" in a position that required gubernatorial appointment that somehow never came.
I am not sure I would say I love my current job. I am equal parts energized and frustrated by it. Changing the direction and speed of policy and performance is tough when you are using a rowboat to redirect an aircraft carrier.
at least you're rowing. /brightside?
The 2020 Topps series one cards came out last week, and it includes a few action shots, one featuring Jorge Polanco. While not your typical "CSI" guess the play photo (the answer is printed on the back of the card), I thought I'd throw it out here for anyone wanting to play:
Polanco started at SS in all three games, and wasn't subbed out.
8/12/18: 1-2 w/ 2BB. Stole 2nd w/ 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th
Twins @ Tigers 6/7/19: 1-5, no BB, Stole 2nd w/ 1 out in the bottom of the 5th
Twins @ Tigers 6/8/19: 1-4 w/ 1 BB, Stole 2nd w/ 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th. BR indicates this was challenged by Baldelli and upheld.
Given the title of the card I'd go with 6/8/19, but I can't make that determination just by the picture itself.
*DING*
8th was also a day game
So was the 2018 game, but day game does eliminate 1/3rd of possibilities.
I wonder if we can come up with something to differentiate the two left, just to double-check Topps' answer?
Did the Twins road or Tigers home uniforms change between 2018 and 2019?
MLB150 patch and blue-brimmed Twins cap both point to 2019 rather than 2018.
Since everyone else is generally positive about their job, I'll step up as the first to say that I don't like mine. The main reason is that I don't really like anyone here except for the guys in the plant, but that is an hour and a half away from where the engineering office is, so I never get down there. My direct boss is a borderline micromanager and the next person up is a huge pain in the ass about every little thing while at the same time not really understanding what it is we're doing. The work itself isn't all that interesting and there really aren't a lot of paths for going anywhere. I stay because its a reasonable commute of around 20-25 minutes on country roads (zero traffic!), I can work half days from home on Fridays, I can wear whatever I want, and it pays well enough. My wife works for Dane county so we get an incredible insurance plan through them so I don't have to worry about the crappy one here. So yeah, works sucks.
I do like my job, but my boss is a jerk. 🙂
Actually, I had no idea how much I would enjoy self-employment or how much apathy had settled in during my last few jobs. There are disadvantages of owning your own business like stressing more about cash flow and sometimes working some ungodly hours. Last weekend I logged 43 hours between Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We were super busy (which is good) and had some special events that pushed me hard. I am getting a little old to work that long and hard. Sunday night I called my wife as I left the joint and told her to fill the jacuzzi tub, toss in some epson salts and pour me a glass of wine. I have 4 more days until a short vacation in Tucson, AZ. Can't wait to put my feet up.
I do not miss the negatives of working for someone else. Many of my frustration at past jobs mirror what you have listed in your comment.
Yeah, like I'd I had ever gotten that brewery idea off the ground a decade ago I'd be a whole lot more satisfied.
What makes my current situation worse is that I actually did like my last job. I actually felt like I was accomplishing something and felt trusted and valued. Of course, capitalism being the way it is, a couple acquisitions later and the stress of not knowing if the position was going to stick around outweighed job satisfaction.
In other words, eff Honeywell.
I know capital is capital, but brewing beer has never been more profitable. (at yeast least in my mind)
The other guy the Twins get in the Maeda trade is apparently Jair Camargo, a twenty-year-old catcher who played in Class A last year. Presumably he's a good defensive catcher, as his offensive numbers are nothing to get excited about. He's young enough that he might improve, but then you could say that about lots of guys.
Not me, unfortunately.
Or me, since I'm older than you are (and older than everyone else here, too, I think).
I love my job.
My job is… fine. I'm being significantly underpaid and I don't have nearly enough work to stimulate my brain, but it's allowing me to reconnect with people, and is hopefully going to lead to something better soon. I really, really hope.
I'm finally at a place in my life where I like my work. The commute isn't the greatest (~40 minutes each way), but it's a lot better than where I was a few years back.
I interviewed with the county two weeks back, and I hope to hear back soon. It's about the only place I'd leave my current employer for, and the fact it's 7 miles away instead of 32 is probably the biggest factor in weighing my options were I to get offered the job.
An extra hour a day not in the car is a raise in and of itself.
I bike to work every day rain or shine. I got hosed down the other day. Completely soaked because I was an idiot and didn't look at the weather station I have in my house (or listen to the local news....), but my commute is part of what keeps me at my job. 10-15 minutes on the bike depending on how gnarly traffic is due to the collapse of a major building development in my neighborhood? Yeah, I'll take that stress over an additional car payment any day.
Big cities and tiny towns. God bless 'em. Work and home are 3 blocks apart. School and daycare bump it up to a 5 block commute.
Though, admittedly, in the winter I often wuss out, because my daughter is still too little to consistently walk the 2 blocks to daycare, and carrying her in the snow and ice with all of her winter gear... ugh.
I like my job. I'm mostly alone in my office, which means that some days it gets lonely and I wish for someone else to be around, but otherwise, I like it. The work itself is often (though certainly not always) interesting. There is a fair amount of stress with running my own business, which is probably the biggest downside.
I would love to have a job. Unfortunately, after you turn 50 most corporations assume you have career leprosy and refuse to touch you. In fact, most are actively trying to shed workers who have reached the half century milestone. They call it ‘right sizing the employee mix,’ which is code for cutting personnel expenses to maximize shareholder return on investment. I’m currently doing some freelance marketing for a local realtor and thinking of starting a consulting business within that niché.
Our society is in a really weird place with employment. They make it harder to save for retirement or pay for healthcare unless you work for a big employer. Then they make it harder to find a job after 50, give people a black mark if they're out of the job force for any amount of time, discriminate on many levels, only look at employees with the exact experience, etc.
People underestimate the roll of luck in success.
Good luck to you. I doubt I have the right type of connections for you, but if I can help in any way, let me know.
Twayn, have you thought about political comms work? I presume that Minnesota legislators have comms people....
State agencies certainly do. And God knows most need someone who can put a coherent sentence together.
I've applied for a few jobs with campaigns and with the party, not enough relevant experience, I'm told. I do plan to apply for a few open communications officer positions with state agencies this week. We'll see what happens.
There might be a citizen with certain Minnesota state agency experience who could help with pointers...
Said citizen would be happy to help in any way he can. He’s only now seeing this cuppa due to his job, which he likes, but which (starting yesterday and through May 18) will be busier and more stressful and contentious* than it is during the other 9 months of the year (& non-election years ... generally).
*
Exponentially more so than most years due to the triple-whammy of: every member of an august Minnesota institution being on the November ballot, Congress in play (and the census-driven reality of a potential loss of a MN Congressional District and the concurrent redistricting at the statewide level, overseen by the outcome of majority party leadership resulting from the statewide elections), and the presidential elections and resulting outcomes/impacts on our federal agency partners.
See, here I was thinking of the Dread Pirate. So two people perhaps?
Corn pops!
I haven't said anywhere online, but I am no longer in the workforce. I won't say much more since my handle is easily connected to my real self. The short version is that I was the second person to join the company nearly 13 years ago, the company had good success, I had grown up the leadership ladder over that time, and for various reasons after 12.5 years it was time for me to move on. I've been able to save enough money over the years that I can take a little time to figure out what is next. I feel very, very fortunate and thankful in that regard.
It seems unlikely that I will get back into computer programming as my primary work. My mind really seems to be drawn to bringing about some sort of local business. I have more ideas than are reasonable right now. Most of the ideas themselves are unreasonable, and I realize how little ideas are worth in the first place.
Good luck to you as you enter the next phase of your life.
Best wishes on the phase change being as smooth as possible.
Thank you both!
I just had 4 close colleagues at the plant I work at move on in the last few months, all for somewhat different reasons but also because they decided it was time (10-17 years of employment for each of them). It's not an easy choice to make, but they all seem to be at peace and excited with their new positions. I hope you will have the same experience!
Thank you!
My mind really seems to be drawn to bringing about some sort of local business. I have more ideas than are reasonable right now. Most of the ideas themselves are unreasonable, and I realize how little ideas are worth in the first place.
Oh mama. Don't discredit ideas because the worth external forces place on them. Before they flushed the turd I was ready to quit my job and go back to school to apply my brain in a new way, and who knows I may still cash in and do just that. Ride out whatever you're going though, but relish the time you have to explore your ideas.
Offer still stands re: that secondary option.
🙏
I've been struck by a couple of inspirations as I work through these radically different places my mind has been going.
Regarding the new playoff proposal. I don't like the idea of 14 teams in the playoffs.
I do like the idea of allowing the top ranked team to choose their opponent. I like the "disrespected underdog" aspect along with the recognition that with the unbalanced schedule, records aren't necessarily indicative of quality.
I'm open to the idea of a 3-game first round playoff series. I like that a #1 pitcher wouldn't have a chance to get 2/3 of the wins required to win a series.
I don't think I'm going to like just about any playoff proposal that keeps the current divisional alignment. I hate having 3 divisions per league and I hate the unbalanced schedule.
To me, the only thing worth keeping about interleague play is that it adds a bunch of low-travel, in-time-zone games which make so much sense to play. (Mets-Yankees, Dodgers-Angels, etc.) In the long run, I think they'd be better off with a radical realignment based on time zones so that you don't have situations like a 5-team division with two teams in the central time zone and three teams in the pacific time zone, which is really a crappy alignment for fans that can't follow games during work hours or want to sleep at night. I mean, I see it here every time the Twins go on a west coast road trip, most people drop off before the end of the game because it's too late. Now imagine that 75% of your divisional opponents are on the west coast. It's terrible. We don't miss the federal league or the american association. In time, no one would are about AL vs. NL. If the DH is the blocker, let teams choose if they want to use the DH at their home games, but the current league alignment increases travel a bunch, which increases wear on the players, decrease the quality of games, and makes it harder for fans to follow their local team.
Figure out a way to succeed in two more markets (hint: salary cap) and make it 4 divisions of 8 teams. Have each team in the division play the same schedule as the other teams in the division, though not necessarily the same schedule as teams in other divisions. Top team in each division qualifies for the playoffs. Seeds 2 through 4 play a double-elimination format to see which team advances, with seeds 3 and 4 starting with 1 loss in the double elimination format, and seed 3 hosts seed 4 to start. (So for a #4 seed to advance, they need to beat #3 on the road, then beat #2 on the road and beat #2 at home.) Don't like it? Win your division next time. Then best-of-7 series the rest of the way out. 1A vs. 2B, 2A vs. 1B, 3A vs. 4B, 4A vs. 3B. Then winners of the 1's and 2's face off, and winners of the 3's and 4's face off. 12 teams is enough to keep a lot of teams in contention late into the season, and there are real advantages to being 1 vs. 2 vs. 3 or 4. (Difference between 3 and 4 isn't huge, but reducing travel that time of year can be nice.)
No matter how you slice the playoff format, the Twins still end up playing the Yanks. *sigh*
I assume that's a feature for MLB, not a bug.
This is where
(hint: salary cap)
comes in.
I mean, really. The Twins are far from perfect, but they've had long stretches of at least being competent in the front office, and I think that Brian Cashman is actually a pretty good GM all things considered--but when comparing the budgets, the Twins are bringing a knife to a gun fight. Between that and some bad luck (seriously, even bad teams don't generally have streaks like that against good teams, let alone playoff teams vs. playoff teams -- there's definitely been some bad luck for the Twins), it's not super surprising that the Twins have struggled against the Yankees, even when the Twins have had a good season.
When teams have the same number of roster spots, same number of players on the field, it's just more sporting for them to have the same money to work with when signing players. What would also be nice is to make it more of a salary budget than a salary cap -- it's the way they've implemented it in MLS. Basically every team pays into the league (probably based on revenue, but I'm not sure what agreement the owners have worked out there) and then the league funds everyone's salary budget. So if you don't spend the money, it doesn't go back into your pockets, the league saves the money (so at best you save like 1/30th of the money you don't spend in your budget), and it would be trivial to take that money and disperse it as an annual bonus at the end of the year so that cheap teams don't cost the players money overall, but also keeps you from having to enact an arbitrary salary floor where teams are bound to do something ridiculous to meet that floor.
I know I'm tilting at windmills, but it's my biggest problem with baseball. It's one thing for the Browns to be worse than the Patriots year after year -- I look at that as a sports fan and conclude the Browns are just run much worse than the Patriots and it sucks for Cleveland sports fans, but at least Browns fans can believe that one year their FO could be more competent and they could turn it around. But comparing the Twins to the Yankees -- the Twins are essentially forced to have longer lean periods than the Yankees because the Yankees can paper over their mistakes with big free agent signings that the Twins can't realistically make. I mean, sure, every now and then the Twins could probably spend a little more money, but in general it's not reasonable to expect them to be up at $250M/year in payroll, and it's just demoralizing to get beat by teams that clearly have more resources.
And the Yankees' scouting reports will be 5x the length of the Twins'
$90M in scouting is not even worth mentioning compared to $90M in salary.
Worked for the Astros!
Dancing on Art Modell's grave is still at the top of my bucket list.
I love my job. I oversee operations, so I get to direct multiple shifts and work with other departments and really get to make sure everything is running the way it's supposed to. Troubleshooting, problem-solving and innovating, my favorite things! I've been in this position for four years and I've built a heck of a team, which is a way tougher job than I ever realized it could be.
I am starting to hate my company, related to my comment to bjhess above. Turnover sucks. Management can't seem to figure out how to recognize and reward different skill sets, and the "leadership" here places more value on risk avoidance and micromanagement than they do on promoting from within or doing the right thing at any given time. It's been a frustrating year, starting with my boss being passed over for promotion and then she had to train the (extremely inexperienced and definitely not ready) person hired for that position, which really was not working out for either of them. To cap off the end of the year, when she'd had enough and left, the plant engineer and I got passed over for her position and now we get to train our new manager, who is at least capable, but also very, very young.
But I've got an 8 mile commute, I have my direct reports and their teams all well-trained, and my responsibilities are manageable. I end up getting pretty free rein to do what I want, the way I want, because I know what needs to happen and how to get it done.
Still wish I hadn't lost the co-workers that left, but it's out of my control and I'm hoping everything settles down as we move forward.
Say what you will about the sansabelt, but those home threads look better than the current regular home threads, or the blue and the red alternate tops.
I love my job. When I interviewed more than five years ago, the old boss said I was the first person who had ever asked to join the division I wanted to join. It took three-plus years for me to finally get into that division (no one has ever said anything, but I'm guessing I was being "conflicted out" by the office being overly cautious about a case I worked on at my previous gig), but once I got it, it has been everything I wanted and more. Plus, the transition after the new boss was elected went remarkably smoothly.
Huh. Who drafted this question?! "In that recent UMass Lowell poll, likely #NewHampshire voters were asked if they prefer President Trump win reelection on Nov. 3 or “a giant meteor strikes the earth, extinguishing all life.” Sixty-two percent said they prefer the meteor strike."
I strongly agree that MLB's greed as it pertains to video content has completely ruined any chance they have of getting a good foothold in this younger generation.
I would furthermore add that they should be looking at more of a NFL-style "game of the week on regular, broadcast TV, with at least frequent home market games being shown". It should be very clear by now that not ever being able to see the local team on TV doesn't drive people to the ballpark, it drives them to other uses for their time.
They are too deeply invested in the regional sports channels and I hate it. What you're suggesting would be fantastic. It would be awesome to strike a deal with a national broadcaster to show two games every Saturday -- maybe 1 ET and 4:30 ET -- with local teams guaranteed to be shown. Like, leave the "game of the week" business to ESPN, and in New York, show the Yankees game and the Mets game to everyone, in LA show the Dodgers game and the Angels game to everyone. In markets without two teams, you can have the local team's game and the flex game. People love Saturday day games -- showing them locally is only going to advertise the game more.
Honestly, I'd go a step further and figure out a way to make it so that every Saturday game was broadcast on YouTube internationally -- make it work out between Google and Fox, or whoever, and the advertisers that they show the same commercials in both places and find a way to make them compromise on the revenue split. YouTube is essentially the streaming equivalent of broadcast TV and if they started regularly showing games there, I'm sure they'd get eyeballs and eyeballs = ad revenue. Maybe less in the short term than you get running a regional sports network, but in the long run you get more fans.
Funny -- I love my job, but when work roles are re-evaluated and layoffs abound (esp. union jobs in the field) it's a harsh environment. Thank you, PSR.
LOL. The ad directly below the article has this headline: "Union Pacific is Hiring!"
I do love my job. I don't necessarily love all the things that are going on in the church as a whole right now, but I can't do much about that, so I just focus on the job God has given me to do.
I love my company. I like my job. It's hard to love it when constant cuts are constant discrimination are forever depriving your clientele of hope and resources. Not to mention constant staff on FMLA which means more work for me.
I'm very good at my job, and I quite enjoy doing the work. However, since they fired my boss for being a turd I've been the boss / not the boss and responsible for all my other job duties at the same time. The end of the day comes pretty quickly now with multiple, very patient elements of my work waiting at my desk everyday. I've made myself the go to candidate for the promotion, and my colleague who expressed a desire to get the promotion has told me that he's seen how the sausage is made and wants no part of it. I just have to run out the next month and a half doing double duty with no mandate for the institution to decide if I'm worthy of an internal promotion. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted at the end of most every day.
Having said all that, since the turd was flushed out of the organization I feel pretty great going in to work. Sure, it's a job, but now I don't have to contend with a constant sense of dread about what the boss will say/do/inflict on the staff.
I had a similar experience in my last position. For over 4 years, I was "acting" in a position that required gubernatorial appointment that somehow never came.
I am not sure I would say I love my current job. I am equal parts energized and frustrated by it. Changing the direction and speed of policy and performance is tough when you are using a rowboat to redirect an aircraft carrier.
at least you're rowing. /brightside?
The 2020 Topps series one cards came out last week, and it includes a few action shots, one featuring Jorge Polanco. While not your typical "CSI" guess the play photo (the answer is printed on the back of the card), I thought I'd throw it out here for anyone wanting to play:
Game finder returns three matches where Goodrum is playing for Detroit against the Twins with SB>=1.
Unfortunately, I don't have Game Finder access, so I don't know what those three are.
Yet.
I'll do it manually
Looks like we got
Twins @ Tigers 8/12/18
Twins @ Tigers 6/7/19
Twins @ Tigers 6/8/19
Polanco started at SS in all three games, and wasn't subbed out.
8/12/18: 1-2 w/ 2BB. Stole 2nd w/ 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th
Twins @ Tigers 6/7/19: 1-5, no BB, Stole 2nd w/ 1 out in the bottom of the 5th
Twins @ Tigers 6/8/19: 1-4 w/ 1 BB, Stole 2nd w/ 2 outs in the bottom of the 6th. BR indicates this was challenged by Baldelli and upheld.
Given the title of the card I'd go with 6/8/19, but I can't make that determination just by the picture itself.
*DING*
8th was also a day game
So was the 2018 game, but day game does eliminate 1/3rd of possibilities.
I wonder if we can come up with something to differentiate the two left, just to double-check Topps' answer?
Did the Twins road or Tigers home uniforms change between 2018 and 2019?
MLB150 patch and blue-brimmed Twins cap both point to 2019 rather than 2018.
Since everyone else is generally positive about their job, I'll step up as the first to say that I don't like mine. The main reason is that I don't really like anyone here except for the guys in the plant, but that is an hour and a half away from where the engineering office is, so I never get down there. My direct boss is a borderline micromanager and the next person up is a huge pain in the ass about every little thing while at the same time not really understanding what it is we're doing. The work itself isn't all that interesting and there really aren't a lot of paths for going anywhere. I stay because its a reasonable commute of around 20-25 minutes on country roads (zero traffic!), I can work half days from home on Fridays, I can wear whatever I want, and it pays well enough. My wife works for Dane county so we get an incredible insurance plan through them so I don't have to worry about the crappy one here. So yeah, works sucks.
I do like my job, but my boss is a jerk. 🙂
Actually, I had no idea how much I would enjoy self-employment or how much apathy had settled in during my last few jobs. There are disadvantages of owning your own business like stressing more about cash flow and sometimes working some ungodly hours. Last weekend I logged 43 hours between Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We were super busy (which is good) and had some special events that pushed me hard. I am getting a little old to work that long and hard. Sunday night I called my wife as I left the joint and told her to fill the jacuzzi tub, toss in some epson salts and pour me a glass of wine. I have 4 more days until a short vacation in Tucson, AZ. Can't wait to put my feet up.
I do not miss the negatives of working for someone else. Many of my frustration at past jobs mirror what you have listed in your comment.
Yeah, like I'd I had ever gotten that brewery idea off the ground a decade ago I'd be a whole lot more satisfied.
What makes my current situation worse is that I actually did like my last job. I actually felt like I was accomplishing something and felt trusted and valued. Of course, capitalism being the way it is, a couple acquisitions later and the stress of not knowing if the position was going to stick around outweighed job satisfaction.
In other words, eff Honeywell.
I know capital is capital, but brewing beer has never been more profitable. (at
yeastleast in my mind)The other guy the Twins get in the Maeda trade is apparently Jair Camargo, a twenty-year-old catcher who played in Class A last year. Presumably he's a good defensive catcher, as his offensive numbers are nothing to get excited about. He's young enough that he might improve, but then you could say that about lots of guys.
Not me, unfortunately.
Or me, since I'm older than you are (and older than everyone else here, too, I think).
I love my job.
My job is… fine. I'm being significantly underpaid and I don't have nearly enough work to stimulate my brain, but it's allowing me to reconnect with people, and is hopefully going to lead to something better soon. I really, really hope.
I'm finally at a place in my life where I like my work. The commute isn't the greatest (~40 minutes each way), but it's a lot better than where I was a few years back.
I interviewed with the county two weeks back, and I hope to hear back soon. It's about the only place I'd leave my current employer for, and the fact it's 7 miles away instead of 32 is probably the biggest factor in weighing my options were I to get offered the job.
An extra hour a day not in the car is a raise in and of itself.
I bike to work every day rain or shine. I got hosed down the other day. Completely soaked because I was an idiot and didn't look at the weather station I have in my house (or listen to the local news....), but my commute is part of what keeps me at my job. 10-15 minutes on the bike depending on how gnarly traffic is due to the collapse of a major building development in my neighborhood? Yeah, I'll take that stress over an additional car payment any day.
Big cities and tiny towns. God bless 'em. Work and home are 3 blocks apart. School and daycare bump it up to a 5 block commute.
Though, admittedly, in the winter I often wuss out, because my daughter is still too little to consistently walk the 2 blocks to daycare, and carrying her in the snow and ice with all of her winter gear... ugh.
I can't wait for spring.
I like my job. I'm mostly alone in my office, which means that some days it gets lonely and I wish for someone else to be around, but otherwise, I like it. The work itself is often (though certainly not always) interesting. There is a fair amount of stress with running my own business, which is probably the biggest downside.
I would love to have a job. Unfortunately, after you turn 50 most corporations assume you have career leprosy and refuse to touch you. In fact, most are actively trying to shed workers who have reached the half century milestone. They call it ‘right sizing the employee mix,’ which is code for cutting personnel expenses to maximize shareholder return on investment. I’m currently doing some freelance marketing for a local realtor and thinking of starting a consulting business within that niché.
Our society is in a really weird place with employment. They make it harder to save for retirement or pay for healthcare unless you work for a big employer. Then they make it harder to find a job after 50, give people a black mark if they're out of the job force for any amount of time, discriminate on many levels, only look at employees with the exact experience, etc.
People underestimate the roll of luck in success.
Good luck to you. I doubt I have the right type of connections for you, but if I can help in any way, let me know.
Twayn, have you thought about political comms work? I presume that Minnesota legislators have comms people....
State agencies certainly do. And God knows most need someone who can put a coherent sentence together.
I've applied for a few jobs with campaigns and with the party, not enough relevant experience, I'm told. I do plan to apply for a few open communications officer positions with state agencies this week. We'll see what happens.
There might be a citizen with certain Minnesota state agency experience who could help with pointers...
Said citizen would be happy to help in any way he can. He’s only now seeing this cuppa due to his job, which he likes, but which (starting yesterday and through May 18) will be busier and more stressful and contentious* than it is during the other 9 months of the year (& non-election years ... generally).
*
See, here I was thinking of the Dread Pirate. So two people perhaps?
Corn pops!
I haven't said anywhere online, but I am no longer in the workforce. I won't say much more since my handle is easily connected to my real self. The short version is that I was the second person to join the company nearly 13 years ago, the company had good success, I had grown up the leadership ladder over that time, and for various reasons after 12.5 years it was time for me to move on. I've been able to save enough money over the years that I can take a little time to figure out what is next. I feel very, very fortunate and thankful in that regard.
It seems unlikely that I will get back into computer programming as my primary work. My mind really seems to be drawn to bringing about some sort of local business. I have more ideas than are reasonable right now. Most of the ideas themselves are unreasonable, and I realize how little ideas are worth in the first place.
Good luck to you as you enter the next phase of your life.
Best wishes on the phase change being as smooth as possible.
Thank you both!
I just had 4 close colleagues at the plant I work at move on in the last few months, all for somewhat different reasons but also because they decided it was time (10-17 years of employment for each of them). It's not an easy choice to make, but they all seem to be at peace and excited with their new positions. I hope you will have the same experience!
Thank you!
Oh mama. Don't discredit ideas because the worth external forces place on them. Before they flushed the turd I was ready to quit my job and go back to school to apply my brain in a new way, and who knows I may still cash in and do just that. Ride out whatever you're going though, but relish the time you have to explore your ideas.
Offer still stands re: that secondary option.
🙏
I've been struck by a couple of inspirations as I work through these radically different places my mind has been going.
1. Derek Sivers's Don't Be a Donkey.
2. Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal's "Many Lifetimes"
Regarding the new playoff proposal. I don't like the idea of 14 teams in the playoffs.
I do like the idea of allowing the top ranked team to choose their opponent. I like the "disrespected underdog" aspect along with the recognition that with the unbalanced schedule, records aren't necessarily indicative of quality.
I'm open to the idea of a 3-game first round playoff series. I like that a #1 pitcher wouldn't have a chance to get 2/3 of the wins required to win a series.
I don't think I'm going to like just about any playoff proposal that keeps the current divisional alignment. I hate having 3 divisions per league and I hate the unbalanced schedule.
To me, the only thing worth keeping about interleague play is that it adds a bunch of low-travel, in-time-zone games which make so much sense to play. (Mets-Yankees, Dodgers-Angels, etc.) In the long run, I think they'd be better off with a radical realignment based on time zones so that you don't have situations like a 5-team division with two teams in the central time zone and three teams in the pacific time zone, which is really a crappy alignment for fans that can't follow games during work hours or want to sleep at night. I mean, I see it here every time the Twins go on a west coast road trip, most people drop off before the end of the game because it's too late. Now imagine that 75% of your divisional opponents are on the west coast. It's terrible. We don't miss the federal league or the american association. In time, no one would are about AL vs. NL. If the DH is the blocker, let teams choose if they want to use the DH at their home games, but the current league alignment increases travel a bunch, which increases wear on the players, decrease the quality of games, and makes it harder for fans to follow their local team.
Figure out a way to succeed in two more markets (hint: salary cap) and make it 4 divisions of 8 teams. Have each team in the division play the same schedule as the other teams in the division, though not necessarily the same schedule as teams in other divisions. Top team in each division qualifies for the playoffs. Seeds 2 through 4 play a double-elimination format to see which team advances, with seeds 3 and 4 starting with 1 loss in the double elimination format, and seed 3 hosts seed 4 to start. (So for a #4 seed to advance, they need to beat #3 on the road, then beat #2 on the road and beat #2 at home.) Don't like it? Win your division next time. Then best-of-7 series the rest of the way out. 1A vs. 2B, 2A vs. 1B, 3A vs. 4B, 4A vs. 3B. Then winners of the 1's and 2's face off, and winners of the 3's and 4's face off. 12 teams is enough to keep a lot of teams in contention late into the season, and there are real advantages to being 1 vs. 2 vs. 3 or 4. (Difference between 3 and 4 isn't huge, but reducing travel that time of year can be nice.)
No matter how you slice the playoff format, the Twins still end up playing the Yanks. *sigh*
I assume that's a feature for MLB, not a bug.
This is where
comes in.
I mean, really. The Twins are far from perfect, but they've had long stretches of at least being competent in the front office, and I think that Brian Cashman is actually a pretty good GM all things considered--but when comparing the budgets, the Twins are bringing a knife to a gun fight. Between that and some bad luck (seriously, even bad teams don't generally have streaks like that against good teams, let alone playoff teams vs. playoff teams -- there's definitely been some bad luck for the Twins), it's not super surprising that the Twins have struggled against the Yankees, even when the Twins have had a good season.
When teams have the same number of roster spots, same number of players on the field, it's just more sporting for them to have the same money to work with when signing players. What would also be nice is to make it more of a salary budget than a salary cap -- it's the way they've implemented it in MLS. Basically every team pays into the league (probably based on revenue, but I'm not sure what agreement the owners have worked out there) and then the league funds everyone's salary budget. So if you don't spend the money, it doesn't go back into your pockets, the league saves the money (so at best you save like 1/30th of the money you don't spend in your budget), and it would be trivial to take that money and disperse it as an annual bonus at the end of the year so that cheap teams don't cost the players money overall, but also keeps you from having to enact an arbitrary salary floor where teams are bound to do something ridiculous to meet that floor.
I know I'm tilting at windmills, but it's my biggest problem with baseball. It's one thing for the Browns to be worse than the Patriots year after year -- I look at that as a sports fan and conclude the Browns are just run much worse than the Patriots and it sucks for Cleveland sports fans, but at least Browns fans can believe that one year their FO could be more competent and they could turn it around. But comparing the Twins to the Yankees -- the Twins are essentially forced to have longer lean periods than the Yankees because the Yankees can paper over their mistakes with big free agent signings that the Twins can't realistically make. I mean, sure, every now and then the Twins could probably spend a little more money, but in general it's not reasonable to expect them to be up at $250M/year in payroll, and it's just demoralizing to get beat by teams that clearly have more resources.
And the Yankees' scouting reports will be 5x the length of the Twins'
$90M in scouting is not even worth mentioning compared to $90M in salary.
Worked for the Astros!
Dancing on Art Modell's grave is still at the top of my bucket list.
I love my job. I oversee operations, so I get to direct multiple shifts and work with other departments and really get to make sure everything is running the way it's supposed to. Troubleshooting, problem-solving and innovating, my favorite things! I've been in this position for four years and I've built a heck of a team, which is a way tougher job than I ever realized it could be.
I am starting to hate my company, related to my comment to bjhess above. Turnover sucks. Management can't seem to figure out how to recognize and reward different skill sets, and the "leadership" here places more value on risk avoidance and micromanagement than they do on promoting from within or doing the right thing at any given time. It's been a frustrating year, starting with my boss being passed over for promotion and then she had to train the (extremely inexperienced and definitely not ready) person hired for that position, which really was not working out for either of them. To cap off the end of the year, when she'd had enough and left, the plant engineer and I got passed over for her position and now we get to train our new manager, who is at least capable, but also very, very young.
But I've got an 8 mile commute, I have my direct reports and their teams all well-trained, and my responsibilities are manageable. I end up getting pretty free rein to do what I want, the way I want, because I know what needs to happen and how to get it done.
Still wish I hadn't lost the co-workers that left, but it's out of my control and I'm hoping everything settles down as we move forward.
The Bruise Brothers.
Ah - GWRBI, how quaint
I thought the same thing.
Say what you will about the sansabelt, but those home threads look better than the current regular home threads, or the blue and the red alternate tops.
I love my job. When I interviewed more than five years ago, the old boss said I was the first person who had ever asked to join the division I wanted to join. It took three-plus years for me to finally get into that division (no one has ever said anything, but I'm guessing I was being "conflicted out" by the office being overly cautious about a case I worked on at my previous gig), but once I got it, it has been everything I wanted and more. Plus, the transition after the new boss was elected went remarkably smoothly.
Funny/not funny Forbidden Zone poll result:
Bauer for commissioner? I'm so confused.
It happens sometimes.
I reference that headline at least weekly.
The sigh at the end ties the whole room together.
This has me questioning my existence.
This was an excellent video.
I strongly agree that MLB's greed as it pertains to video content has completely ruined any chance they have of getting a good foothold in this younger generation.
I would furthermore add that they should be looking at more of a NFL-style "game of the week on regular, broadcast TV, with at least frequent home market games being shown". It should be very clear by now that not ever being able to see the local team on TV doesn't drive people to the ballpark, it drives them to other uses for their time.
They are too deeply invested in the regional sports channels and I hate it. What you're suggesting would be fantastic. It would be awesome to strike a deal with a national broadcaster to show two games every Saturday -- maybe 1 ET and 4:30 ET -- with local teams guaranteed to be shown. Like, leave the "game of the week" business to ESPN, and in New York, show the Yankees game and the Mets game to everyone, in LA show the Dodgers game and the Angels game to everyone. In markets without two teams, you can have the local team's game and the flex game. People love Saturday day games -- showing them locally is only going to advertise the game more.
Honestly, I'd go a step further and figure out a way to make it so that every Saturday game was broadcast on YouTube internationally -- make it work out between Google and Fox, or whoever, and the advertisers that they show the same commercials in both places and find a way to make them compromise on the revenue split. YouTube is essentially the streaming equivalent of broadcast TV and if they started regularly showing games there, I'm sure they'd get eyeballs and eyeballs = ad revenue. Maybe less in the short term than you get running a regional sports network, but in the long run you get more fans.
A. Men.